The Netherlands Has It Goin’ On

Hey, Americans.  If you were going to expatriate, where would you go? As U.S. politics becomes more terrifying and life here becomes more bizarre, an ever-increasing number of us are asking ourselves this precise question.

For many, the answer is The Netherlands. The country is quite progressive; its culture is secular, altruist and egalitarian, and its people shun ostentatious behavior and crass commercialism. The Dutch place an enormous value music and the arts; when I admired a Dutch friend’s playing Chopin’s viciously difficult G-flat waltz when we were in our 20s, he told me that all schoolchildren become at least decent pianists before they leave for university, and confessed that he’s barely average.

From various sources:

The Netherlands is a leader in environmental and population management. Sustainability is an important concept; the government’s goal is to have a sustainable, reliable and affordable energy system by 2050, in which CO2 emissions have been halved and 40 percent of electricity is derived from sustainable sources. The government is investing billions of euros in energy efficiency, sustainable energy and CO2 reduction. The Kingdom also encourages Dutch companies to build sustainable business/projects/facilities, with financial aids from the state to the companies or individuals who are active in making the country more sustainable.

And here’s something else to admire: the Dutch have absolutely no compunction about using some incredibly astute humor to shame the U.S. for its outrageous behavior. Check out this piece of gun violence, and try not to laugh.